Barchester Healthcare Gains Skills for Life With ThirdForce

LONDON - ThirdForce, the UK’s leading e-learning provider, now acts as the preferred supplier of U-skills to one of the most respected care home companies in the UK, Barchester Healthcare. ThirdForce will support the 15,000 strong workforce with Skills for Life e-learning to enhance Barchester’s quality provision of care and customer service.

Training and development is a key component to the success of the Barchester business; a group that currently cares for over 10,000 residents in 170 different locations across the UK.

Terry Tucker, Barchester’s director of learning, development and hospitality said: “What attracted us to working with ThirdForce for Skills for Life provision were the benefits of the Learning Support Manager service. The face-to-face teaching will provide additional personal support to the engaging e-learning resources. In addition to this we have always enjoyed a strong working relationship with ThirdForce and we’re happy to build upon this by working together on Skills for Life delivery.”

The U-skills blended solution offers the scalability and accessibility of engaging e-learning resources combined with the face-to-face follow up learner support from the ThirdForce team of Learning Support Managers (LSM’s).

ThirdForce has formed a close partnership with Barchester over a number of years including working with them to deliver Foundation Food Safety and Health and Safety mandatory training. The most recent contract; U-skills, is an important extension to the breadth of that relationship.

Research has previously shown that many healthcare companies spend a considerable amount more on recruitment than investing in staff learning and development. Average staff turnover with healthcare companies is 44 per cent; within Barchester it is less than 20 per cent. This indicates the benefits of a training and development programme which is integral to everything rather than something happening in isolation.

ThirdForce sales director, Janet Garcia, commented: “Barchester is a company which recognises the benefits of investing in its people and has always been the first to explore new ways of engaging staff with learning. Our e-learning is already well embedded into the organisation so it feels like a natural progression that we would also provide U-skills training. We look forward to a bright future with Barchester and we are confident of achieving real success together.”

ThirdForce Corporate Backgrounder

With over 20 years experience, ThirdForce Plc, is a leading independent e-learning solutions provider, with a proven track record in delivering state of the art, technology enabled e-learning solutions to over 17 million learners in leading companies in the commercial, hospitality, education, government and healthcare sectors.

Blending technology, multimedia and pedagogy into unique learning experiences that lift performance and raise standards, ThirdForce provides a wide portfolio of e-learning solutions including IT Certification courses, Compliance training and Business Skills.

e-learning courses and assessments prove to be highly cost effective and change the way our clients do business. The ThirdForce business model is flexible to the needs of each client, avoiding a ‘one size fits all’ approach. The extremely user friendly interface, makes the e-learning content challenging, rewarding, relevant and, motivational.

ThirdForce plc is a global e-learning company, with commercial head quarters in London, Dublin and Columbus Ohio, with regional offices in Canada and Australia. It is listed on both AIM and IEX; further details are available at www.thirdforce.com

Ingrid O’Sullivan, +353-1-2891989, iosullivan@thirdforce.com

Source: ThirdForce

Ingrid O’Sullivan, +353-1-2891989, iosullivan at thirdforce.com